"Seems to me that a career in the style of David Ferrer is almost certain": Jim Courier compares rising American to former top 10 Spanish star

Friday, 18 September 2026 at 03:30

Jim Courier gets recognition at Miami Open.

While Ben Shelton reached the final of the US Open, Jim Courier has lauded yet another American as opposed to him as the future in the form of Learner Tien who he sees having a big career akin to a former top 10 name in David Ferrer.

Alexander Zverev managed to win his first major title only earlier this year and has managed to take two with the absence of big names or in Alcaraz's case injury recovery. But for America, it has been a bit more of a bleaker picture. For the first time since 2003, Shelton had a chance to delight American fans.

He couldn't do it, but there is still hope that the next crop of American talent can come good. This all with a solid chance of competing for top titles. There is of course Shelton, but also Frances Tiafoe, who lost in the semi-finals of the US Open. Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Brandon Nakashima no doubt too should also be in the consideration.

Albeit one perhaps flying completely under the radar is a certain Learner Tien. Jim Courier has decided as of late to shine a light on him including after the US Open. He first compared him to Daniil Medvedev, but then also to David Ferrer. Both have had great careers, but the Grand Slam accumen could be there too.

"I think Medvedev is undoubtedly a brilliant analyst. Who else is great? Intuitively, players like Learner Tien, who have fewer resources, must be more attentive to what happens on the other side of the net, and are specialists in breaking the defence and knocking down.

Learner Tien during his fourth round at the Australian Open

"Learner is very good at that. I think Gilles Simon was amazing at that. There have been many over the years, but I am really fascinated with Learner entering the space in which he is now with Michael Chang, who is another brilliant mind. It's going to be fun to see what they do together. In fact, it has already been."

"He has progressed in increasing the speed of his strokes, although he has had elbow problems this summer.

Career akin to Ferrer

He also continued saying that he does seem having a career in the ilk of David Ferrer and sees it as almost certain at this point as Tien continues to surge up the rankings.

"I'm curious to see if he maintains the speed of his serve, because in Canada it was very low. Even so, he succeeded, but that's a disadvantage if you lose between 8 and 10 miles per hour with the first serve.

"I don't know when he will be among the top ten, but it will be quite soon; he is about to achieve it, and it seems to me that a career in the style of David Ferrer is almost certain.

Read also

"Will he be able to overcome that barrier with Sinner and Alcaraz ahead? It's still to be seen, and I think he has the mentality to do it."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

See author's posts

claps 0visitors 0

Ignacio Buse stirs up controversy saying a top 1000 player would beat Elena Rybakina

Six players who could make the difference at the Laver Cup